


In The Shadows

by Chailyn_Kamaria



Category: Lost Boys (1987), Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Blood, Blood Drinking, Demons, Feral Behavior, Gen, Ghouls, Kidnapping, Murder, Sequel, Succubi & Incubi, Supernatural Elements, Torture, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Werewolves, Witchcraft, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-15 06:51:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2219730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chailyn_Kamaria/pseuds/Chailyn_Kamaria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to In The Dark. Highly recommended that you read that first - not only will it make more sense, but I love new readers! Star is on the run from hunters and vampires alike. She must somehow convince everyone - including a newly resurrected David - that she is not the threat they all think she is. For there is something far more sinister lurking in the shadows of Santa Carla...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Open Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing! Zip, nada. I don't think I even own the thoughts in my head. The Lost Boys belong to WB, no matter how much I may wish otherwise. I am making NO profit from this story whatsoever, unless you count the happiness I get every time someone reads it.
> 
> I don't own the song Open Your Eyes, that features in the chapter – that honour belongs to Snow Patrol.

_All this feels strange and untrue_  
And I won't waste a minute without you  
 _My bones ache my skin feels cold  
_ _And I'm getting so tired and so old_

_Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol  
..._

_David…_

Star opened her eyes and winced at the pain it caused her. A light was shining brightly above her and she was curious as to whether it had been done on purpose. With her eyes closed, she stretched as far as her shackles would allow and prepared her body for the inevitable torture it would endure today. She still had the gift of immortality that David had bestowed upon her, although without him, it now felt like a curse. In the taxidermy room above her, she could hear _them_ , arguing about the best way to remove David from the antlers he was impaled on. Apparently it was one of Grandpa’s favourite pieces and he wanted to see if it was salvageable.

_The anger swells in my guts_  
 _And I won't feel these slices and cuts_  
 _I want so much to open your eyes_  
 _Cause I need you to look into mine  
_ _Tell me that you'll open your eyes_

_Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol  
..._

_David…_

They’d disposed of Dwayne’s remains earlier. Sam had complained about how he’d had to pick up all the _icky_ pieces, and Edgar had more or less told him - you kill it, you clean it. She doubted, however, that Edgar or Alan had been the ones to clean Paul out of the bathroom or kitchen.

This had been the longest day and night of her life. Max - who unknown to Star was her Grandsire - had plotted to rid Santa Carla of the Lost Boys and start over with Lucy and her sons. David had tried in vain to protect Star and his boys and both he and they had been killed in the process, along with Max himself. She, now unwillingly shared a house with their killers. She was their prisoner, their project. The Emersons stayed well away from her little room of captivity, especially Michael, now that he knew what she truly was. That didn’t bother her in the slightest, though. He was the last person she was looking to for an ally.

After losing so much, she didn’t think things could get much worse.

How wrong she was…

 


	2. Reunion

They would be coming for her, she was sure of it. Star wasn’t exactly sure who _they_ were, as it could be anybody at this point. She didn’t know what she had done to piss off so many people. Okay, that was lie. Still it was hardly her fault, none of it had been done intentionally or willingly.

The crease of her elbow was itching, fiercely. The part of her brain that scolded her for scratching it, was silenced by the cool relief that came from the action. It would probably start bleeding again now, although that didn’t trouble her. It would just be inconvenient. Star closed her eyes and delighted in the exquisite bliss. It was a temporary reprieve from the pain. No one around her paid her any mind. To them, she was just another junkie looking for a fix from her dealer.

Star secretly observed the people passing her by as she pretended to rearrange her clothing. She was no longer the gypsy girl that everyone knew. That girl had died a long time ago. For the new Star - flowing, glittery skirts and a myriad of rings and bangles were not only impractical, but risky. Too many knew that girl, noticed her. It had been fine when she had been with the boys, she had wanted to be noticed and had enjoyed the attention. Now though, attention was a dangerous thing, especially when so many enemies knew her face and bayed for her blood.

The new Star did her best to fit in with the eclectic style of the locals. Her unruly ringlets were tied back in a loose ponytail and hidden underneath a beanie hat. She didn’t dare go as far as to dye it or have it cut. She mainly dressed in muted colours. Her military jacket with the beaded-tasselled shoulders, had been replaced by a combat style that had enough pockets to hide the many weapons she kept on her person. Star missed giving her possessions that quirky little something that made it her own. Although in a town like Santa Carla, filled with runaways who vied to be different, it was the perfect disguise.

Looking down, she noticed one of the laces of her Chucks had come loose, dragging along the ground, waiting to trip her up. It would have to wait to be fixed as she wasn’t sure if she could bend down without causing herself more damage. Besides, she was preoccupied with her surveillance of the crowd. There was someone here who didn’t belong and it was imperative that she identify them.

After several minutes, she gave up. There still didn’t seem to be anyone out of place. Be that as it may, instinct told her to stay on the Boardwalk. It was busy tonight and she doubted her pursuer/s would attack with so many witnesses present - human or otherwise. However there was a small problem with her plan. She still suffered from feral tendencies. There was no one left to teach her how to control her urges. She’d thought that maybe with the boys dead, her cravings would die with them. As David had once explained to her, her urges came from the pack collective and technically there was nothing for her to tap into.

It was a dilemma.

Stay in the crowds where it was less likely that she would be attacked, but where her blood-lust was at its peak. Or stick to the shadows where an attack would be imminent, but the people of Santa Carla would be safe. At least safe from her.

She had been on the run for several weeks now. Lack of regular sustenance and feral outbursts, coupled with grief and the distress she had endured over the past few months, had all taken their toll on her. Star was in no shape to fight whatever was hunting her, however that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try. She moved away from the crowds and instantly felt someone following her, watching her from the shadows.

_Here we go…_

She thought, refusing to pick up her pace. She was sick of running, so if they wanted her, they could damn well work for it. Her patience was wearing thin. Running on fumes of pure anger, was the only thing keeping her going these days. When she could stand it no longer, she spun on her heel - faster than a mortal could have - and turned to face her stalker.

“Why are you following me?” She asked the darkness before her. “What do you want?”

The presence refused to answer. It was still there, however, flaunting its malevolence at her. Star was not impressed. She’d seen many a scary thing this last year and shadows that refused to make themselves known, no longer frightened her.

“Who are you?” She sighed, already bored of this wait-and-see game.

“Don’t you recognise me, Star?” Asked a familiar voice and its owner stepped out of the shadows. Of all the things she knew were hunting her, this was the last thing she expected. Not least because, as far as she knew, the owner of that voice was decomposing six-feet-under in Grandpa Emerson’s backyard. If her heart could beat, it would have pounded its way out of her chest.

“David…?” She barely managed to get the name out, completely bewildered by the sight before her.

“Not who you were expecting?” He quirked an eyebrow at her and smirked.

“No…I-I…how…are you?” It was a stupid question, although her mind didn’t seem to be able form an intelligent thought. Star was convinced that she had fallen asleep and her subconscious was delighting in new ways to torment her. The David before her widened his eyes slightly and then considered her question carefully.

“Not sure how to answer that…alive?”

Without warning, she leapt into his arms and peppered his face with kisses. She didn’t care if this was a dream. It was the happiest she’d felt in a long time and she intended to savour every second. His touch, his smell, the look of astonishment in his cerulean blues, it all felt so real.

This was not the reaction that David was expecting. He’d expected her to flee, scream, possibly attack him, but certainly not with kisses. He pushed her away with a scowl, taking pleasure in the disappointment that had appeared on her face.

“You think this makes up for what you did?”

“What I did? I didn’t—”

“—Save it.” He interrupted, before knocking her out. He wasn’t in the mood for banter, at least not here in the open. He’d take her to more familiar turf, and there she would have to answer for her crimes. A tiny spark hidden deep within, hoped that there would be a good reason for her betrayal. However, he doubted that anything she could say would ignite that spark into the flame that once was.  
  


oOo  
  


When Star awoke, she discovered that her arms were chained painfully behind her back. It was like being back at the Emersons, although she didn’t remember that room ever smelling so damp or musty. After struggling for a while, she managed to free her left arm. She was just working on the right, when she heard footsteps approaching. She hid her freed arm behind her back, just as Marko appeared before her.

“Marko?! Will you please tell me what is going on?”

He couldn’t bear to look at her. David had warned him to stay away, nevertheless he just had to see her for himself. She’d been like a sister to him. He’d felt close to her and thought she’d felt the same way considering their similar upbringings. He just wanted an explanation.

“Marko? Please? Help me.”

“Why would I help you? You didn’t help me.” He replied, still refusing to look in her eyes. He was sure if he did, he’d lose it.

“I know, I’m sorry.” She mumbled and he looked up.

“What was that?” He asked, getting closer. Did she really just try to apologise? He could feel the anger bubbling up inside of him. He didn’t want to hear how sorry she was, he wanted to know why, hell, he’d settle for how. What the fuck had she been thinking? What was so bad that she couldn’t even talk to them about? What comfort had she found with Michael that she couldn’t get from her own pack?! He needed to know.

“I said…”

Star lunged at him and with her free arm, she grabbed him in a choke hold. Once she had freed her right hand, she reached into one of the hidden pockets in her jacket and retrieved a syringe. Star pointed it at Marko’s throat, allowing the sharp point to graze his skin, and whispered into his ear.

“Get David in here. Now!”

Within hardly any time at all, David appeared in front of her, flanked on either side by Paul and Dwayne.

“Ha!” Star laughed when she saw them. “The whole gang’s here.”

“Let him go, Star!” David commanded. His voice was even, however there was a fury burning beneath his tone.

“Erm, no. I don’t think I will and as I seem to have the advantage here, I’ll ask the questions.” They all stared at her in disbelief.

“Advantage? You’re one against three.”

“Do you have any idea what is in this?” She said, gesturing to the syringe. “Allium Extract, Argenti Nitrate and Sancta Trinitas. That’s garlic, silver and Holy Water.”

David faltered slightly.

“It really burns, especially when it’s going down your throat, just ask Paul…”

“You bitch!” Paul snarled at her, while Dwayne held him back.

“Like I said, I’ll be the one asking the questions.” She smiled coldly at each of them in turn.

“Let’s start with a nice, easy one. Who the fuck are you?!”


	3. In Loving Memory

“What?” David asked, confused.

“Oh, don’t give me that!” Star spat. “John and Virginia hired you, didn’t they? What? The physical torture wasn’t enough, they gotta resort to this? It’s sick!”

“What the hell are you going on about?” He asked, however Star ignored him.

“You go back and you tell them, I’m not giving them anything! I don’t know anything and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell them. They murdered my family! Did they really think parading their shells in front of me would get me to break?!”

“Dude, she’s lost it.” Paul whispered.

“Star…who do you think we are?” Dwayne asked cautiously, brow furrowed. Star laughed hysterically.

“You tell me…”

“Star, it’s us…” Marko gasped from under her grasp. She shook her head vehemently.

“No. Stop lying to me. I felt you die!”

“Star…just put the needle down. We’ll talk about this and you’ll see it’s us.” Dwayne coaxed, unsure if Star was even in her right mind.

“No…” She wailed. “You can’t be…y-you just…can’t…it’s not right.”

She dropped the syringe and pushed Marko away from her. He kicked the needle out of her reach and picked it up. Star had collapsed into a ball and was now sobbing. Marko backed up further, in case it was another ploy.

“Please…kill me. Just don’t do this…don’t be them. Please…I didn’t do anything to you.”

“We’re not going to kill you, Star.” David confirmed, before smiling coldly. “That would be too kind after what you did.”

 

“You think she’s lying?” Dwayne asked David, once they were outside the chamber where they were holding Star.

“Of course she is. She was too cowardly to kill us herself, she had to get those wannabe hunters to do it for her. Shit, maybe she was even working with Max.”

“I don’t know, David. She genuinely didn’t seem to understand what was going on.”

“Maybe she’s got amnesia?” Paul suggested.

“I don’t think so.” Marko shook his head. “I mean, she recognised us, but it was like she didn’t want to believe it was us.”

“Of course she doesn’t want to. She thought she was rid of us and now she’s going to have to face the consequences of what she’s done.” Marko looked behind him at Star and shook his head again.

“No, there’s more to it than that. Something’s wrong. It just…doesn’t feel right.”

“Marko, she was threatening to poison you!”

“How do you know for sure that there’s even anything in here?” Marko asked, breaking the syringe and cursing as he burnt his fingers on the toxic liquid inside.

“See?”

“That doesn’t prove anything.” Marko countered, returning to Star.

“Marko, get back here…” David growled after him.

“Star?” Marko asked timidly, slowly approaching the huddled form before him. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

“I told you, I’m not telling you anything.”

“Marko, get away from her!”

“Do you know where you are?”

She nodded sadly.

“Iad.” She whispered.

“Marko, step back, I won’t tell you again.”

“Wait, what is that?” Dwayne asked Marko, ignoring David’s warning.

“Hell. She thinks she’s in hell.”

“She will be soon, if she doesn’t quit this act.”

“Why'd you do it, Star? Why'd you betray us?” Paul joined in.

“I didn't!” She protested.

“Then where were you that night?”

“One minute I'm fast asleep and the next, Michael is waking me up telling me he's taking me out of there? What was I supposed to do? Ask him to wait there while I asked David if it’s okay? I didn't know what to do!” She couldn't hold the tears back any longer. Paul's scarred face softened as he realised the predicament she’d been in. David, however was having none of it.

“That’s it! I’ve had enough of this.” He grabbed her by the arm, hoisting her to her feet and she screamed so loud you would think he had just torn her arm from its socket.

“David, you’re hurting her.”

“I’ll do more than that…” He snarled “I warned you, Star. I warned you what would happen if you threatened my family again!”

He threw her against the wall and the scent of blood invaded the air. Marko ran over to her. Her face was clean, however there was a dark patch of something on her jacket that seemed to be rapidly increasing in size. Removing her jacket, he discovered her side was bleeding heavily through makeshift bindings. He also noticed deep bruising and track marks on her arms.

“David, come look at this…” He beckoned David over. The boys crowded around her, taking in her injuries.

“Get…the fuck…away from…me.” Star coughed, holding her side.

“What the hell happened?”

“I don’t get it. This injury is over a week old. She’s still a vampire, so why isn’t she healing?”

“It b-burns…when it…goes down…your throat…” Star whispered, her voice getting weaker. Marko pulled her her hair back and discovered similar bruising along her neck, her veins dark in contrast with her skin. Curious, he slipped into fang and lowered his mouth to her neck.

“What are you doing?” David asked.

“Testing a theory.” Marko answered, before puncturing Star’s neck with his fangs and allowing her blood to fill his mouth. He immediately spat it out on the floor beside him.

“What is it?”

“Whatever the hell was in that syringe it’s in her blood.” Marko replied, trying to get the remnants of Star tainted blood out of his mouth.

“Why the hell would she inject herself with Holy Water?” Asked Paul.

“She wouldn’t.” David answered solemnly. “It would have been injected purposely to prevent her from healing.”

“Who else would know that?”

“Hunters.” David hung his head in realisation. The Frog brothers it seemed, were only the beginning.

“I won’t go back!” Star cried and suddenly sat up. “You can’t make me.”

“Star...”

She shuffled backwards as far as she could manage, while slipping in and out of reality.

“Stay away from me! Oh, don’t worry, sweetheart. They’ll come, I know they will. You know I won’t let anything happen to you, right? Right, Laddie?”

“Star, Laddie’s not here.” Replied Dwayne.

“What have you done with him? He’s just a little boy.”

“We haven’t done anything with him. He was with you, remember?”

“Oh! I remember…”

...

“ _What are they going to do to us, Star?”_

“ _I don’t know, but I can make damn sure they don’t do it to you. Come on, I’m getting you out of here…”_

_They crept out of the house, careful not to alert it’s inhabitants. It was pitch black outside and Laddie couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face. He was glad he had Star, who could see just as well in darkness._

“ _Careful!” She warned, holding him back. “This is where they lay. Well, what’s left of them.”_

_She put her hand to the newly turned earth, as if they would be able to feel and find comfort in her touch._

“ _I heard the old man and the Frogs burying them this morning.”_

“ _They scare me.”_

“ _I know. Me too, sweetheart. Me too. You should be able to find your way to town from here. Just keep following the road and don’t stop until you’re well away from this place.”_

“ _You’re not coming with me?”_

“ _I can’t. It’s too close to dawn, I’d never make it. Besides, I won’t leave them here with those monsters. I told you that.”_

“ _Then I’m not going either. They were my family too.” She placed her hands on his small shoulders and pleaded with him._

“ _Laddie, don’t argue with me. You’re human, they have no interest in you. You can go and live a normal life. Please, I don’t want to lose you too.”_

“ _I don’t want a normal life, I want to be with you!”_

“ _You can’t, this has gone too far. You need to go. Now!”_

_Just then, lights shone on them, almost blinding her._

“ _No one’s going anywhere.” It was_ him, _and behind him was Michael and the Frog brothers. Sam was no doubt inside with Lucy, as these days he rarely left her side. She gulped and held Laddie close to her._

“ _Where’re you going, Star?” Michael taunted, using the same phrase David had when they first met._

“ _Please…” Star begged. “Just let him go. He’s human now, he can’t hurt you.”_

“ _Let him go squawking all over town? Get your vamp buddies up here? I don’t think so.” Edgar grunted._

“ _Who’s going to believe him even if he did tell? He’s not a threat to you.”_

“ _All filth like you are a threat to us.” Alan replied, aiming his water-uzi at them and Star pushed Laddie behind her._

“ _I won’t let you hurt him.”_

_She yelled at Laddie to run and launched herself at Edgar and Michael. Alan squirted her with Holy Water and she screamed as it melted her skin. She threw Edgar at Alan, knocking him off balance. Dropping her fangs, she growled at Michael, while the Frog brothers were busy fishing for their stakes._

“ _I should have killed you the first night we met. None of this would have ever happened!”_

_BANG!_

_The sound of the shotgun reverberated through the air. She looked down expecting to see a hole in her chest, but_ he _hadn’t been aiming at her. She jumped off Michael and turned around to see a little body on the ground._

“ _NOO—”_

...

“—OOO! They killed him…” Star whispered, tears falling down her face.

“What? Who killed who?” Dwayne asked, startled by her sudden outburst..

“He was just a little boy and they killed him.”

“They…killed Laddie?” Dwayne growled before briefly vamping out.

“I couldn’t save him. It was a shotgun and he was so little…” Star covered her mouth with both hands to stop herself from screaming again.

“Oh, man…” Paul sighed, shaking his head.  Even David wasn’t quite sure how he should be feeling at that moment, so he kept his face impassive. He hadn’t been as close to Laddie as the others - in fact he’d been quite indifferent to the young boy. Star and Dwayne’s connection to him had unlocked a bond between them, that David could never hope to have with her. He had no patience for children, however that shouldn’t suggest that he wasn’t grieved to learn of his death. Imagining the pain it must have caused Star, instantly made him want to comfort her. He quickly put his feelings in check, once he remembered that he wasn’t completely convinced of her innocence.

“They just left him there, bleeding out on the gr…” She stopped.

“What? What is it, Star?” Asked Marko.

“They left him bleeding on the ground over where they buried you. His blood soaked into the earth and brought you back.” She looked up wide-eyed into the faces of her lost family, her Lost Boys. The reason her cravings had gotten so much worse lately, was standing right in front of her. A vampire needed a lot of sustenance in order to heal quickly and effectively. Star had effectively been trying to heal five seriously injured vampires all by herself.

“It’s really you?”

“It’s really us, girl.” Paul smiled, although there a tinge of sadness, now he knew to whom he owed his second chance.

They took Star to the foyer and gave her a bottle of blood to flush out the remainder of the toxins in her system. They all watched as she held it carefully to her mouth and drank slowly but steadily. After a while, she leaned back against the love-seat on which she was sitting next to Dwayne. Her brow creased with confusion as she looked over at Marko.

“W-wait. How is Marko here? He wasn’t there that night.”

“No I wasn’t, but someone really needs to give those Frog brothers an anatomy lesson.” He grinned, lifting his shirt to reveal a healing scar in the middle of his chest. “Nowhere near the heart. Hurt like a bitch, though.”

“I know. I felt it.” Said Star, taking another swig from the bottle.

“Incineration is the true key to a vampire’s demise.” David explained, tiredly. “Stakes and Holy Water will immobilise us for a very long time, however there are still enough cells left for us to regenerate. Burying us speeds the process, too. Those wannabe hunters have a lot to learn.”

“John and Virginia obviously aren’t as good as they think they are.” Star scoffed.

“You said those names earlier, who are they?” He asked.

“I thought they were something else you were hiding from me.” Star replied, looking pointedly at David.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The name Max ring any bells?”

“Oh…”

“Oh? That’s all you have to say?”

“You have no idea what was going on, Star!”

“I would have, if you’d told me.”

“So what if I did? What could you have done?”

“I could have been there for you. You wouldn’t have had to do it alone.”

“Do what?”

“I scanned Max’s mind. I know what both you and he were planning. He was trying to get rid of you all.”

“I thought he wanted us all to be one big happy family?” Paul asked, confused. Star shook her head.

“He’d wanted you gone for a long time, thought you were getting too out of control. David turning me was the kicker.”

David nodded, remembering his conversation with Max when he’d told him about Star.

“He didn’t want Gypsy blood watering down his legacy.”

“He was going to start again with the Emersons. He tried to use Michael, but you were already inside. He twisted your plan, David, for his own. Michael was battling with two wills pulling him in different directions. One telling him to kidnap me, the other telling him to rescue me. Still, they both led to the same place.”

“Are you defending him?” David growled.

“No! I’m saying neither of you counted on the Frog brothers getting involved. They weren’t supposed to be there in either scenario.”

“Wait, back to this John and Virginia. Who are they and how are they connected?” Asked Marko.

“You really don’t know? They’re Edgar and Alan’s parents.”

“What?! The spaced out hippies from the comic book store? That’s who you’re so afraid of?” Paul burst out laughing and Star scowled.

“They are not spaced out hippies. That’s just a cover.” She replied, carefully. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out another syringe. The boys all jumped back.

“This, is one of their chemical cocktails. I stole as many as I could after I escaped them holding me prisoner.”

“I’ve been watching you for some time now, Star. You certainly didn’t look like a prisoner when you were with the Emersons.”

“Looks can be deceiving. Just like John and Virginia. They may look harmless, but they are serious hunters and they’ve taught their sons well. Maybe Edgar and Alan did screw up with taking you guys out, but it was their first time. And you know what they say, practice makes perfect, and boy, have they practised.”

“How do you know?” Dwayne asked, suspiciously.

“Because, I’m their secret weapon.” She replied, despondently.

“What does that mean?”

She sighed and then looked at David with regret.

“You never did teach me how to shut you out.”

David looked at her quizzically and then his eyes widened in realisation. Star nodded, confirming his suspicions.

“David? What’s she talking about?” Asked Dwayne.

“David worked out that I was tapping into all of your hunger, which is why no amount of feeding seemed to satisfy my cravings. It was why I was turning feral.” David exhaled sharply and put his head in his hand.

“I was going to show her how to shut us out after we’d taken care of Max. I wanted to use her blood-lust as a weapon against him.”

“Yeah, well the Frogs had a similar idea. Torture me, weaken me, refuse to feed me. Place me in a crowd, wind me up and watch me go. Take me out and do it all over again. And it isn’t just vampires they’ve been hunting.”

“The werewolves?”

“Werewolves, ghouls, demons, witches - anything that poses a threat to truth, justice and the American way.” She recited.

“Fuck!” Paul exclaimed.

“So how did you escape?”

“With great difficulty. They were using me to infiltrate a vampire pack downtown. They’d had info from a half who was sired by their Head. He was supposed to back me up, however he didn’t show. The Head recognised my blood belonged to Max’s family, with whom she had an unfortunate history, and it turned into a bloodbath and not the good kind. In the confusion, I managed to escape, but not without receiving the wrath of a crossbow.” She explained, gesturing to her bloody bandages.

“Didn’t hurt as much as one combined with electricity, mind you.” She smiled sympathetically at Dwayne, who grimaced at the reminder.

“So why take the syringes?” Marko asked.

“Because I don’t just have to worry about protecting myself against the hunters who kidnapped me. I’ve also got an irate vampire pack, a pissed off werewolf pack and a furious coven of witches all after me. And now you guys as well!”

Marko looked over at David, who was still analysing everything Star had told him, for any hint of deception. When David still refused to make a comment, he spoke up instead.

“We’re not after you, Star. We just didn’t know what to think after that night.”

“Yeah, we thought you’d turned. Especially when you screamed when you saw us coming.” Paul said and Star shrugged.

“I wasn’t sure what the plan was, so I thought the best thing was to continue playing my role.”

“To the point of helping them to kill us?” David asked.

“No! They tried to kill me and Laddie too. We hid under the bed and when I heard Paul, I got out to help him. I was going to slip into the other bedroom and trap them in the bathroom.”

“So why didn’t you?” Paul asked.

“Because when I opened the door, Sam’s dog was there and I know it sounds pathetic, but I’m terrified of dogs. It was growling and snarling at me and I hid in the closet.” Star shifted about uncomfortably as her voice got quieter with embarrassment at being frightened by something so…human.

“I couldn’t move, I was paralysed and then my face felt like it was on fire and I couldn’t see. I felt the dog had gone so I tried to get out and then my whole body went into spasm.”

“The dog came after me and pushed me into the bathtub filled with Holy Water. You felt that?”

“I am so sorry that I didn’t help you, Paul.”

“But you felt it?”

“I told you, I felt you all die…” She paused and looked over at David who was studying her through cold eyes. “Yours was the worst. I remember, they were tying me and Laddie up when I felt that…plunge through my chest and I knew it was you, David.”

David looked down at the floor, face set in a frown. Star tried to continue through the tears.

“I broke free, raced down the stairs, saw your body and I died right there with you.” After she had regained her composure, she sniffed, wiped away her tears and carried on.

“After all the shit with Max went down, me and Laddie were trying to come up with a way to get you all out of there and back to the cave, without us being noticed.”

“Why didn’t you just leave?” Dwayne asked. “You could have escaped with Laddie.”

“I wasn’t going to leave you there, with them! They were all celebrating in the kitchen and I’d somehow convinced myself that David wasn’t really dead and that I could save him.”

At that, David finally looked at Star properly. It was the ignition he’d been hoping for. The flame within him wasn’t truly alight, however the embers were beginning to smoke.

“Someone knocked me out before I could try, though.”

“Who?” He asked.

“John, I think. Well he and Virginia were the first faces I saw when I came to. Oh, and just for your information,” she said, giving David an accusing stare. “I’m getting really tired of being knocked unconscious all the time.”

“It’s for your own good.” David smirked. Star sighed and smiled back at him.

“So they kidnapped you and Laddie?” Asked Marko, trying to get back to Star’s story.

“Not exactly. They held us hostage at the Emersons for a while until they figured out what to do with us.”

“So Edgar and Alan went running for Mommy and Daddy? Least I managed to scare the shit out of ‘em, bud!” Paul grinned as he high-fived Marko, pleased he had accomplished something worthwhile, prior to his untimely demise.

“They were just as surprised to see them there as anybody.”

“So what were they doing at the Emersons? They got trackers on their kids or something?”

“No, the old man brought them. He recognised Max and got suspicious after Sam’s ruse to get him out of the house before you guys dropped in. So he went to get John and Virginia.”

“How the hell did he know about them being hunters?”

“C’mon, Paul, you’ve seen the guy’s truck, and all those animals he likes to stuff. He’s a fucking hunter too!” Dwayne answered, however Star shook her head.

“He’s not a hunter, he’s a half. In fact, he’s the one who didn’t show up while I was infiltrating his sire’s pack.”


	4. Grandpa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who have read and/or left kudos! It means a lot. :)

_He'd recognised what Max was straight away of course._

_A God-damned vampire in his house! Worse than that, he'd been invited._

_Frank had known that it was going to be a challenge having his daughter and grandsons living with him, although he didn't feel that he could turn them away after everything that they had been through. Still, this was ridiculous. They'd only been here five minutes and already they were inviting Head vampires over for dinner! Plus he'd suspected that Michael's_ plans _for that evening were less than savoury._

It would all end in tears.

_Frank thought to himself after Max had left that night with his tail between his legs. John and Virginia's boys had made a complete ham of the whole evening, dragging Sam along for the ride. He'd wanted to warn Lucy against meeting with Max for dinner the next evening, God only knows what that could entail. Nevertheless, knowing his daughter the way he did, he knew he would only end up pushing her towards Max if he made a big deal out of it._

_Things had quickly escalated from there. Later that night when Michael had returned, he hadn't been alone. He'd been followed and two of the fetid things were on his property. Thankfully they'd left shortly afterwards and the next morning, Frank had made himself get up early to increase the security around the house._

_Not long after midday, there had been a screech of tyres and he'd looked up in time to see Michael driving off in his car, with Sam and the two inexperienced hunters as passengers. No doubt they were up to no good. They returned about four hours later, looking a lot worse for wear and carrying two sleeping forms up the stairs. He knew better than to ask questions, however it was clear that things were getting out of hand._

_This became more apparent when Sam entered his taxidermy room, informing him that the Widow Johnson had called to arrange an earlier time to meet. He'd known Sam was lying. The Widow had never once called him on the phone, and even if she had, she certainly wouldn't have spoken to Sam if he'd answered. Still, he'd feigned ignorance and went along with it. He needed help. Ellie had been less than helpful and made it clear that it was_ his _problem, so that left John and Virginia. He doubted their sons were ready to take on a Head vampire by themselves, so they might be grateful for the heads up._

_The lights were off and the comic book store was closed when he arrived, although he could sense that someone was inside. Frank knocked on the door and waited for a reply. None came. He knocked again a little more urgently._

" _Hello? I need to speak with you…it's about your boys."_

_Something shifted inside and he heard the door unlock, even though nobody had come to open it. Cautiously, he stepped inside the shop and blinked in the gloomy darkness. Without warning, something hard hit him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and bringing him to his knees. He looked up with rheumy eyes at his attackers._

_The man in front of him wore a mid-length, dark khaki-coloured trench coat, with the wide collar turned up. His skinny, front-pleated trousers were tucked into calf-high combat boots. He wore a myriad of crosses, suspended from leather thong around his neck, amongst them; a tiny ampule of milky liquid. His dark, wavy hair and beard looked dirty, with streaks of grey running through them. Next to him, the woman, her long hair in a severe ponytail, plaited down her back - wore an over-sized black leather biker jacket, and was holding a large stake in both hands. She held it firmly in her right hand and smacked it threateningly into her open left palm._

_So this was John and Virginia Frog, the most feared hunters in all of Santa Carla. They played their cover so well that hardly anyone knew that once the shop had closed, the sleeping hippies became the nightmare of those that dared to go bump-in-the-night. Frank had often heard Ellie complain about them, which gave him reason to believe that they were very good at what they did._

" _What have you done with my boys, vampire?" John asked, menacingly._

" _Nothing!" He gasped. "They've been helping my grandson. He comes in here a lot."_

" _Oh yeah, the fashion victim."_

" _His brother's got into trouble with some of the locals and your boys were helping him out, that's all."_

" _So, what do you want from us? This might be their first time solo, but they can handle it." Said Virginia._

" _I think they might have got in over their heads. There's things that they don't know. They're going after the Head vampire, but I think they've got the wrong guy."_

" _We're listening…"_

_He quickly explained about recognising Max, and what had happened the night he came to dinner. This eventually led them to the subject of his own problem._

" _He turn you too?" John asked._

" _No. It wasn't him. That was…somebody else. You think I'd let him near my daughter if he'd turned me?"_

" _Fair enough…"_

" _Listen, your boys ran off with my grandsons this afternoon and came back looking rather shaken up. They seemed eager to get me out of the house and I think they're expecting company this evening judging by the amount of garlic and shit they were bringing into the house all afternoon. They've dismissed Max as a Head, so if they're preparing for a fight, they're going to lose and Max could end up turning my whole family."_

" _Rather it'd be you that turns them?"_

" _No! You think I like living like this? I feed off the blood of animals so I won't harm humans. I live in the middle of nowhere so I don't give in to temptation. If I knew she had anywhere else to go, I would have made sure my daughter never came here." John sighed and scratched his head, thoughtfully._

" _Well, there are a few Head vampires in Santa Carla. What makes you so certain that Max's spawn are responsible for turning your grandson? How do you know that it isn't one of your pack? In which case we should be after your Head."_

" _Well it seems like a pretty big coincidence that Max took an interest in my daughter and the next night my grandson is turned into a vampire. Besides, I checked with mine and she knows nothing about it. Please…for every second that my family are here, ignorant to the real Santa Carla, they're in danger. For every second they're with me, they're in danger. I need your help." John nodded and squatted down in front of Frank with his arms folded and serious expression on his face._

" _Okay, vampire, here's the deal. We'll help you take down this Max, get your grandson out from under his fangs - BUT, you then help us get rid of your Head."_

" _Sure."_

_John and Virginia quickly loaded up with weapons. Some traditional, like stakes and crosses and stakes made out of crosses. However, among the traditional, were some more unusual weapons. Syringes filled with a liquid like the one that John wore around his neck. Virginia loaded a tranquiliser gun, and placed it in a holster at her side, while John prepared a small crossbow. Once they were satisfied that they had everything that they needed, they drove Frank to where he had parked his truck, and marvelled at the stakes in the bed._

" _You sure you need our help?"_

" _Yes. I was just repairing the fences around my property. Why?"_

" _Maybe we could use these…" Said John, tapping one of the posts._

" _I don't think so. They're too big for one person to carry and a vampire would have to be standing pretty still for us to charge one into it."_

" _Just let us worry about that…" Virginia replied, before jumping back into the car with her husband._

_Frank drove back to his house as fast as he could, with the hunters following closely behind in their own car. He only hoped he would get there in time._

oOo

_Now here he was about five hours later, with a house full of dead vampires, a live one tied up in the basement under his feet, and his family barely able to look him in the eye. Whether that was because of what he'd told them or because he'd lied to them, he wasn't entirely sure._

_The ones downstairs were a problem. He wasn't too happy about keeping the boy, as he wasn't even a half anymore. However, John and Virginia had assured him that they needed him for leverage with the vampire, they'd captured._

_Captured…_

_They'd hardly captured her. She'd been mourning over the body in his taxidermy room when John had knocked her out, carried her into the kitchen where Frank was trying to explain to his bewildered family, just what was going on, and asked if he knew where they could stash her._

_The next few days were difficult enough with the tension over what had happened since Lucy and her sons had moved here, now it was made worse by the constant screams of agony coming from his basement. Frank just couldn't understand what they wanted with her, why they hadn't killed her. His questions were answered one day when he went down there to tell John and Virginia, that they weren't going to turn his home into any more of a charnel house than it already was._

" _Look, my bathroom and kitchen are covered in vampire goo and guts and both are going to have to be completely renovated. Another one of the bastards completely ruined the deer that I'd been commissioned to make, that's $800 I'm out of pocket, and what else…? Oh yeah, I'm still a God-damned vampire! I thought I was supposed to be helping you bring down the one that turned me."_

" _We'll get around to it." Was his reply._

" _When?"_

" _When we've finished with this one."_

" _And what exactly are you doing with her? I don't want any of that crap up there, down here."_

" _Relax, old man. We're experimenting with our new deterrent. We need to make sure it works properly before we take on your sire."_

" _What deterrent?"_

" _This…" John took out one of the syringes from his utility belt and pushed gently on the plunger, causing some of the liquid inside to spurt out._

" _And what the hell is that?"_

" _Allium Extract, Argenti Nitrate and_ _Sancta Trinitas. Better known as garlic, silver and Holy Water. Our own recipe. We're testing different methods of administering it. The syringe guarantees a good, clean dosage."_

_Virginia firmly tapped the crease of the vampire's elbow and wiped a square of rubbing alcohol over it. John immediately injected the liquid into her prominent vein. The vampire shrieked, pearlescent fangs glistening, and before Frank could blink, all the veins in her arms became apparent and darkened. The darkness spread along the veins in her body, like roads on a map and John nodded, pleased with her reaction._

" _Good in a tight spot, not so good when you have to take several out at once._ "

" _The tranq gun is better for that." Virginia said, taking it out of her holster and aiming it at the subdued vampire. She fired, and the dart hit just below the shoulder. The vampire hissed and snarled at Virginia, until slowly its head lolled to the side._

" _Problem is, it's not as fast acting as the syringe. It would possibly slow them down, but it wouldn't take them out for a significant amount of time."_

" _Our favourite so far, is with the crossbow. Takes effect faster than the gun, can take out multiple opponents if we increase our reload speed, and we'll be able to switch easily between projectiles." John aimed his crossbow and fired at the vampire's exposed neck. Frank watched in fascination as the dark pattern of veins once again bloomed beneath her pallid skin._

" _Also, we've modified these darts so that the needle is fixed with a small wire barb. Keeps it in long enough for the chemical cocktail to enter the bloodstream and afterwards…" John reached over and pulled at the dart embedded in the vampire's neck. It gave a little resistance, so he yanked it out, hard, pulling a chunk of flesh along with it. "Afterwards, we get to retrieve our darts."_

_The vampire whimpered and looked up at him with hatred in her eyes and bared her fangs at him. He promptly slapped her across the face._

" _Don't give me that look, vampire. It's no worse than what you do to your victims."_

" _At least…I don't…kill…little…kids…" She growled at him with tears in her eyes._

" _Sure you don't." John scoffed._

" _Next, we need to test reaction times and how long the effects last for." Virginia said, putting away the weapons and taking out more syringes._

_Frank gulped. He had to keep reminding himself that this thing was a rabid animal, and wouldn't hesitate to slaughter everyone in this house. Still, looking at her chained up and being experimented on like this, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her._

_It was strange seeing emotion on a monster's face, seeing the grief in her eyes. She'd lost everyone that mattered to her. Frank understood why the Frogs thought they couldn't have let the boy go, but did they have to kill him? He'd heard the shot, of course, you couldn't have missed it. Watched them dragging the hysterical girl back into the basement from his window. And for the first time, he wondered if he'd made the right choice asking for John and Virginia's help._

oOo

_In the weeks that followed, they still weren't any closer to bringing down his sire. Apparently the Frogs had discovered something interesting about their captive, and were having fun using her to train their boys. After testing their new weapons on an unsuspecting vampire pack, Star - their resident vampire - without provocation, had attacked a passing ghoul. It's not the easiest thing in the world to feed off a ghoul, especially when it's in a transition, trying to escape the dying body it's currently residing in. Nevertheless, Star wouldn't let go and with the ghoul trapped between stages and having no other place to go, she had effectively killed it._

_Now the Frogs found that they had discovered a way to rid Santa Carla not only of vampires, but everything else that stalked the streets. They modified their chemical cocktail again so not only did it have the desired effects for a more substantial amount of time, now it would affect multiple subjects. Most creatures were already affected by the Holy Water content, however, by slightly increasing the amount of silver nitrate, they could now take out a significant number of the werewolf populace too._

_Frank watched as the Frogs prepared for the hunt. They'd come up with a plan to take out a particularly nasty pack of wolves who had a habit of attacking lone tourists. They were bringing along Edgar and Alan as if it was a fun, family outing. To them it probably was._

_Star had been agitated ever since John announced they were going after the wolves. Of course, she'd been understandably distressed prior to taking on her vampire brethren, at least until the hunger took over. John and Virginia found it far easier to control her when they were starving her. As the time got closer to taking on the werewolves, she was now positively hysterical._

" _Please…you don't need me. Don't make me go!"_

_It seemed absurd that she was petrified of dogs, especially after witnessing what she'd done to that pack of vampires. However, observing her behaviour the few times she'd interacted with Nanook, Frank was now convinced. Every time Nanook was let outside for some exercise, she'd be on edge. There were times the dog would scratch and growl at the outdoor entrance to the basement and he'd notice her shaking with fear, praying that the dog wouldn't be let in. In fact it was pretty obvious that she feared Nanook sniffing around above her, more than she did John and Virginia experimenting on her, which had become more horrific and violent. It also disturbed him how eagerly the two young boys watched these 'experiments' and even took notes._

_Star screamed through her restraints as they dosed her one last time before releasing her from her shackles. They'd taken to muzzling her in between hunts, after she'd nearly taken a chunk out of Alan when he'd tried to restrain her after one of her little feeding frenzies. John threw Star's unconscious body over his shoulder and carried her up the steps to Frank's awaiting truck._

_Edgar and Alan did a final weapons check before they got in, and Virginia looked on with a smile of approval. Once they were all on board, Frank started the truck and let out a blast of 'La Cucaracha' from his horn, to let his family know he was off. He didn't particularly relish joining the Frogs for these hunts, however as his truck carried more and he'd be damned if he was going to let anyone else drive it, he had no other choice._

_Tonight they were heading for a quiet part of town, driving down a somewhat isolated road where the buildings were few and far between. Hitchhikers were common along this stretch of road, most of them drunk as they tried to navigate their way back into town. They were also a favourite source of food for the horrors of Santa Carla. As if on cue, there was a scream that came from a nearby field and presently a large group of dark forms, scurried across the road in front of them. Frank quickly slammed on the brakes, as Edgar and Alan were already jumping out._

" _Edgar, Alan, take position to take out any stragglers. Do not actively engage with the main pack though, that's her job." John said, untying Star._

_In the inky blackness, Frank could make out the werewolf pack trying to subdue their prey. They took it down with relative ease and were now trying to restrain the thrashing body by biting it. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel tight, trying not to imagine the scent or taste of the blood. In the back of the truck, John had managed to rouse Star, who was now thrashing around herself as she realised she was literally going to be thrown to the wolves. He kicked her out of the bed of the truck and she landed on her hands and knees, cracking her head on the craggy surface of the road. As soon as the blood trickled into her mouth, she was off like a shot in the direction of the wolf pack._

_Virginia had made them all wear a sort of garlic garland, to mask their scent from Star so she would go straight for the wolves. It was fascinating to watch this petite little thing - who cowered in probably one of the friendliest dog's presence - snarling and snapping at a pack of vicious werewolves whose dinner she'd interrupted._

_Once the last wolf was dead and Edgar and Alan had finished taking out the ones that had tried to flee, John took out his crossbow and aimed it carefully at an advancing Star. The garlands no longer repelled her once the ones wearing them became her only remaining food source. He shot her and she fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Meanwhile, Virginia grabbed the muzzle and restraints, and brawled with Star's struggling form to put them back on her._

oOo

_Frank was getting rather tired of these hunts. They might have begun as a way of training their sons and preparing themselves for taking on a stronger vampire pack, as such, it was becoming more apparent that the hunts were mutating into a bloodsport for their own amusement. It was seemingly strange how difficult it was now, to tell the Frog family apart from the very things they hunted._

_The cries of pain from his basement, had steadily been getting worse, too. He was just about to voice his objections, when John announced that they were finally ready to take out his sire. They were going for a stealthier approach this time, due to the considerable size of the pack. Frank had informed them ages ago, that once a month, his pack would gather at a secret location downtown. The Frogs would use this knowledge to their advantage, and hopefully take out the majority of vampires in Santa Carla._

_They wanted Frank to get Star inside. He was doubtful at first as to how agreeable she would be to this plan, although he was relieved of his doubt once he saw the defeated look in her eyes. He tried not to think about what had been done to her to achieve such a look and cursed his mind for replaying her anguished screams._

_As they neared the place where he would be granted his liberty, it became a real effort to control his giddy feelings of elation. Soon, he would be freed from this curse and able to live what remained of his life in relative peace. He made a mental note to tell the Frogs where to go, once he had his humanity back. He never wanted to see any of them ever again. Let them torture vampires on their own God-damned property! He wasn't sure what would become of the vampire sitting next to him, nor did he want to know. Sometimes ignorance truly was bliss._

_He pulled up outside a warehouse and adjusted his bow-tie in the rear-view mirror. Once out of the vehicle, he turned to Star._

" _Hand the dog over, will you?" Star looked down at the stuffed animal she'd been absent-mindedly stroking during the ride over here. Her lip curled in disgust and she carefully handed over the mounted monstrosity._

_As they entered the dilapidated warehouse, Frank felt something tugging on his consciousness. Something or someone was calling him. He told Star to make her way to the gathering and that he would be along shortly. She was reluctant to leave him at first, eventually she nodded and carried on down the narrow hallway. Frank made his way to the stairwell and allowed his feet to carry him to where he was being pulled. Finally he found himself in front of a door, which he felt himself enter without knocking._

" _Welcome, Frank. Long time no see…"_

" _Ellie…" he answered in a kind of trance. The woman's eyes were drawn to what he carried in his arms._

" _For me?"_

" _Y-yes, of course." Frank sputtered, quickly handing over the stuffed, long-haired Dachshund. Ellie cooed over it and tickled its lifeless ears._

" _So adorable! How do you keep them so lifelike?"_

_Frank tried to answer, however he couldn't get his mouth to form the words. He was always like this in Ellie's company. She was a very striking woman and worst of all, she knew it._

" _I understand you've brought a guest tonight." She said in her upper-class London accent, studying him with pale green eyes. "We shall of course, accommodate her. And what of your other guests, what shall we do with them?"_

" _Others?"_

" _Yes. The ones who arrived shortly after yourself, carrying a variety of weapons." She clarified, sitting down elegantly in a rather shabby looking office chair and demurely crossed her long legs. She put the stuffed dog on the desk before her and reached for the teacup and saucer placed next to it. As she lifted the cup to her lips, the pungent smell of blood wafted over to him and he felt his stomach rumble. Hearing the sound, Ellie looked over the top of the china with a bemused expression._

" _How rude of me. Can I offer you a cup, Frank?"_

" _N-no, I'm f-fine."_

" _Very well. I have to tell you, Frank that I'm rather disappointed that you're thinking of leaving our little family. Especially the manner with which you intend to leave. Consorting with hunters? Tsk tsk tsk."_

" _Look, they helped me to get rid of Max after you refused to help me."_

" _Is that so? Well, I suppose that is some good news. Nevertheless, I feel quite offended that you have the same fate planned for me. No matter, you answered my call in time, so I suppose I can forgive you just this once. Now the question becomes - what are we to do with your little friends?"_


	5. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: The beginning of this chapter contains graphic descriptions of torture. Please do not read on if you think you will be offended. Hell, it made me feel sick writing it!
> 
> A/N: I totally blame CaliforniaStop for what is about to follow. There's a scene in her Bioshock story (The Scars of Utopia) which was my inspiration. I can honestly say that is the first time I've ever cringed and felt sick reading such a violent scene. I can only hope that my own will do the same. It's very different of course, as I found it quite difficult to torture a vampire. It's not as easy as it might sound. They're resilient little wotsits...

_The blade sliced agonisingly slow across the flesh on the underside of her lower arms, tearing open scars that had barely had time to heal and sending an electric current up her spine. Star couldn't work out which pain was worse - the pinching tingle of her skin and veins as they parted open around the blade, the bubbling of her skin every time it came into contact with the Holy Water which the blade had been dipped in, or the constant need to scratch open all of her wounds to relieve her of their incessant itching. It felt like thousands of fire ants beneath her skin, all burning and scurrying, desperate to get out of the place that confined them._

_Just as she was becoming familiar with the pain of the blade, they would switch to something new, so that her body was unable to rest or process the pain it was in. They'd hold her head back and force_ _her to swallow small, silver crosses that had been blessed and were attached to a long chain. They burned down her oesophagus like she was drinking liquid fire. The chain was then wrenched out, causing her to gag and vomit acidic blood all over herself._

 _Sometimes the anticipation of knowing that pain would be imminent, and knowing that she was unable to do anything to lessen or stop_ _it, became worse than the torture itself. Upon guessing that she'd reached that level of cognisance, they began to use it to their advantage. Now the sound of sharpening knives, or the splashing of Holy Water, was enough to leave her shaking with terror as to what was going to come next. Now, her fear welded her to the chair more than the restraints did._

_Star made the mistake of looking down at the freshly opened wound on her arm, just as they applied the contents of one of their syringes. She watched as the slugs of congealed blood within her, dissolved along with muscles, tendons and fatty tissue, sparking a panic in the pit of her stomach. The pain was unbearable, however she no longer had the energy to scream or cry out._

_The clamps that parted her flesh wide open, were removed and the folds of body tissue hung languorously, incapable of healing themselves. Her limb fell uselessly off the arm of the chair and dangled midair from the restraints. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to picture when she had been happy. Tried to imagine lying next to David, or partying with the boys or even Laddie's happy smile whenever he was with her. However these memories only served to hurt her. A torture worse than what was being done to her right now._

_The sound of a motor whirring, invaded her thoughts and through bleary eyes she could make out one of her captors holding a drill. Their faces had blurred into one and she could no longer tell who was who. The monster before her knelt down and suddenly she felt a pressure boring into her bare right foot._

" _Please…stop…" She tried to say, although it came out as a garbled stream of whimpers and wheezes._

_The drill continued, the serrated screw, eating it's way through her flesh and bone, embedding itself in the floor below. Star tried to clench her fist, however her eroded tendons made it impossible and she writhed and bucked in the chair, trying to find a way to make the pain stop. The drill was now working on the other foot, while she was being injected with the vile serum that liquefied her insides and denied her body the chance to heal._

_Slowly she began to feel herself drift into the bliss of unconsciousness, yet before she could get there, she was suddenly doused with Holy Water. Her skin blistered and bubbled and the pain overwhelmed her. A scream was torn from her throat as the acidity of it mingled with her previous injuries. As it dripped down her body, it seeped into the deep lacerations made upon her back and chest. Another bucket was thrown at her feet and she instinctively wrenched them upwards, temporarily forgetting about the screws embedded within them and she screamed once more…_

"Star? Star…Star!"

She opened her eyes and came face to face with Marko's concerned expression. She panted, eyes darting around the room, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Once she had determined that there was no immediate danger, she buried her face in Marko's jacket and sobbed. After what had transpired earlier, Marko was unsure what to make of this action, nevertheless, he held her tight and tried to soothe her.

"Shh, it's okay…you're okay."

"God! I can still feel them! Like bugs under my skin…down my throat. They're inside me, Marko. I've got to get them out!" He felt her fidgeting and looked down in time to see her violently tearing at her skin. He fought to restrain her.

"Star, don't! You'll hurt yourself." Eventually she stopped and Marko released her. Star shifted into a sitting position and stared vacantly at the scars on her arms, which were only now beginning to heal.

"What are you doing up?" She asked tiredly, yawning halfway through.

"I was taking a walk, heard you screaming."

"A walk?" Star frowned and looked past the curtain into the main cavern. Shafts of sunlight blared down, reflecting ripples upon the rubble where they met with pools of water. "It's the middle of the day."

"Yeah, well, I don't sleep as soundly since…well, you know." Star nodded and reached out for him.

"I'm sorry." Marko looked down at the hand that held his arm and his eyes became drawn once again to the track marks, scars and bruising. He placed his hand on top of hers and sighed.

"Me too." Star jerked her hand out of his grasp.

"Don't…"

"What?"

"Don't forgive me…please…don't."

"Star, what are you talking about? You couldn't help it, you didn't have a choice."

"I could have fought harder. I should have. Maybe if I had, Laddie would still be alive. I shouldn't have been such a coward." Marko frowned and lifted one of her arms.

"Hey! Every mark, every bruise, says otherwise. They show how strong you've had to be."

"I don't think David sees it that way."

"Yeah, well maybe if David had been stronger, it wouldn't have come to this."

"Marko! How can you say that?"

"I don't know, I just…see what's happened to us, to you. I can't help but wonder if there was something else we could have done. Maybe got through to Max somehow, made him see sense."

"You couldn't. I saw his thoughts, he'd convinced himself that this was the only way. If the Frog brothers hadn't got there first, he would have killed you, all of you - in a way that you _don't_ come back."

"Yeah, I know. Besides, we've got bigger problems now."

"Yeah, like angry vampire packs…thanks to me."

"I meant the Frogs. If what you said is true, every _thing_ in Santa Carla is in danger. I don't know, maybe, I can persuade David to contact these vampires that you pissed off and settle some kind of truce."

"That's sweet, Marko, but you and I both know he's never going to go for it. Even if he did believe me, they're a rival pack. You know how territorial he is."

"Star, this is different. The Frogs are a threat to every supernatural being and if we don't do something right away, then things are going to get ugly."

"Maybe you're right…I just…don't see how we're going to convince him."

"Leave it to me. I'm sure I got some powers of persuasion lying around here somewhere." Star smiled and Marko allowed a brief flash of his Cheshire Cat grin. Her eyes drifted to the empty bed next to hers and the smile instantly vanished from her lips. That was Laddie's bed. She shut her eyes tight as she felt the tears welling up and Marko, aware that his sister was in pain, put his hand, comfortingly on her shoulder.

"We'll make them pay, Star. We'll make them pay for what they did to him."

"I just…can't believe he's gone. It was my fault, he didn't do anything to deserve…" Marko sat down next to her on the bed and she leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder, while he ran his fingers through her tangled hair.

"I'm sorry…if I…hurt you earlier…" She murmured as she closed her eyes.

"It's fine." He whispered, lying down and resting his head amongst the many cushions. Star curled up next to him, wrapping herself in the safety of his arms as she lay her head on his chest. Soon, both of them fell into a dead sleep, the likes of which neither had been able to experience since before this whole mess had started.

oOo

When Star woke up, she could hear voices barely audible over the crackling of the oil drums and the crash of waves against the rocks. She rubbed her eyes and could just make out David and Marko talking in hushed whispers through her lace curtain.

"She's not lying, David and we need to do something about this now." Star sighed as she realised Marko must have been trying and failing to convince David to speak with the other vampire packs.

"I am not going to stick my neck out for her, just so she can chop it off."

"David, don't be ridiculous."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"

"No, unfortunately I haven't. I know you still care about her."

"I'm warning you, Marko…"

"You're warning me? For fuck's sake, David, I saw your face light up last night when she said she hadn't given up on you. And you know what? She still hasn't, so just stop being so fucking stub—" Marko was cut off as David punched him and losing his balance, he fell to the ground. He curled up defensively as David began kicking him and Star, wide eyed, went running out to stop him.

"David, no! Leave him alone, what's wrong with you?" She knelt down next to Marko and tried to help him sit up.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Marko grimaced and nodded as he clutched his ribs. "I'll get you a bottle." She raced over the the cabinet where the blood bottles were kept, but not before giving David a look of pure disgust. As she came back, she could just make out his last words to Marko before he stormed off into the night.

"You want her, Marko? Fine. You're welcome to her…"

"What was all that about?" Star asked, completely dumbfounded over David's behaviour. Outside, came the roar of a motorcycle engine coming to life and the screech of tyres as it sped off. Marko exhaled sharply, and picked himself up off the floor.

"He found us sleeping together, and two plus two equals five-hundred, apparently." Star scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. And that makes it okay for him to kick the crap out of you?" Marko shrugged.

"I am never going to understand that man." She muttered. "Where are Paul and Dwayne?"

"Still asleep. My recovery gives me insomnia, theirs give them narcolepsy, go figure."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry, they'll be up in a little while, so don't waste that on me." He said, gesturing to the bottle in her hands. "Paul especially, needs a swig before he can go out. He won't admit it, but he's really vulnerable right now and still in a lot of pain. Smoking twice as much lately, just to deal with it all. He's become hypersensitive to any sort of light, sometimes even the street lights'll freak him out."

"What about Dwayne? How's he coping?"

"The way Dwayne does best - silently. He won't talk to us, so we don't really know how he's been affected, other than needing extra sleep." Star nodded and Marko smiled sadly at her. "It's _not_ your fault…"

"So you keep saying. Doesn't make me feel any less guilty."

"We'll wait for them to get up and then we'll go look for David."

"Maybe kick some sense into _him_?"

 

David rode as fast as his bike would allow, until the streets, buildings and people surrounding him became an infinite blur that stretched into the horizon. Every now and then, he'd weave vigorously between imaginary obstacles, trying to erase the image of Star and Marko together from his mind.

_Stupid._

He thought to himself. He was so fucking stupid. He had actually considered lowering his defences and maybe allowing her back in. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He had to remain hard, be strong, for his pack. They needed him and he couldn't indulge himself in silly fantasies or become distracted. Max wasn't here to bail them out anymore. He chuckled in disbelief that Max had been right all along. Gypsy blood _had_ weakened him.

Somehow he found himself in the industrial part of downtown, where the warehouses - on the verge of - and already abandoned factories could be seen. He doubted he'd find a gourmet meal around here, although maybe there would be a few homeless he could snack on. He just needed _something_ to clear his head. Parking his bike, he decided to take a look around.

After wandering around aimlessly for a while, David became frustrated. His thoughts wouldn't leave him the fuck alone and he was no closer to finding something or someone to vent those frustrations upon. He came across an abandoned office building which annexed a warehouse. Finding a steel door, he proceeding to beat at it with his fists until his knuckles bruised and swelled and the blood vessels in his hands burst. He stopped momentarily to look down at his bleeding hands and cursed.

" _Your hand is bleeding…_ " Said Star's voice, and he spun around to face her, however she wasn't there. Nobody was there. He clenched his fists tight and scowled.

"Great! Now I'm fucking hearing things…" He muttered to himself, not noticing the steel door behind him slowly opening.

"Hey, buddy, you lost?" Said the guy behind the door.

"No, why?"

"Then how's about you go get lost. This here's private property." The man scowled, with a familiar glint in his eye. David became a little worried that he'd found himself on a rival gang's territory. Especially since he didn't have the boys and he wasn't up to full strength. Still, he wasn't going to back down or show any weakness. Apart from trespassing, he hadn't done anything wrong.

"I'm just walking. I'm not here to start any trouble. I'll be on my way." The man at the door growled a parting caution until someone whispered something in his ear.

"Hey!" He called out to David, who stopped, but didn't turn around. "Someone wants to talk to you."

"I told you, I'm leaving." The doorman appeared at his side and took hold of his arm.

"Not no more you ain't. Now get inside." David didn't like the idea of being manhandled by this lanky bastard into the unknown. However, as he could see another pair of eyes watching him from behind the opened door, and God knows how many more in the shadows, he decided it was best to play along for now.

The guy shoved him in through the door and David cursed himself when he discovered that the eyes watching him from the shadows belonged to a frail-looking girl with bright blue hair. She couldn't have been any older than seventeen, whenever she had been turned and she looked at him curiously with big blue eyes and her head on one side. After a few moments, she gave up, shrugged and asked him to follow her in an irritating, syrupy voice.

The girl with the blue hair skipped, actually skipped, ahead of them, while the doorman continued shoving David from behind. They eventually came to a door, upon which the girl knocked in a childish way and entered. David turned around and glared at the doorman, daring him to push him inside the room. The doorman just smirked and mockingly bowed before him, inviting him with a gesture to enter the room ahead. David curled his lip in disgust before heading into the room.

"My goodness!" Said a voice from inside the opulently decorated room, which was highly out of place in the rest of the building's dingy surroundings. "It really is you, David, as I… _don't,_ live and breathe. How wonderful it is to see you again."

David couldn't stop his mouth from dropping wide open as his eyes settled upon a very familiar face.

"Ellie?"

oOo

"Any idea which direction he went in?" Asked Dwayne, once he and Paul had been informed of what had happened.

"No, he just took off like a child having a tantrum." Star explained, earning her a snicker from Paul.

"He actually thought you and Marko were—"

"—Well that's obviously the only explanation, seeing as we were in the same bed with all our clothes on!"

"Hey, calm down, girl."

"I'm just angry that he stormed out like that without even listening to what me or Marko had to say. How am I supposed to make him see that I'm not a traitor if he…if he won't even talk to me."

"We'll find him." Dwayne assured her.

"He's in the industrial district." Marko announced.

"How do you know that?" Asked Paul.

"He just sent out a distress call."

"I didn't hear anything."

"Try and focus, your injuries could be messing up your abilities." Marko offered, as Paul shut his eyes and tried to concentrate on David's call.

"Why the fuck would he be in the industrial district? That's not even our territory." Said Dwayne.

"You, don't think he went to see that vampire pack on his own, do you?" Star asked Marko, who shook his head.

"No way. Not in his condition, it'd be suicide."

"Still, I think we'd better find him."

 

"Where now?" Star asked, as they landed.

"There." Marko pointed to a building to their right and Star shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Dwayne asked.

"I don't know, I just get the feeling that I've been here before."

They approached the door and froze when they noticed blood upon it. Dwayne sniffed the air and confirmed it was David's. Star, without waiting for the others, wrenched the door open and dashed inside.

"David!"

"Star, slow down, it could be a trap."

"I don't care, I'm not losing him again!" She dashed up the staircase, with the boys right behind her. As she got to the landing, she screamed as she almost ran into a very angry looking wolf with a dark blue-grey coat. It snarled at her baring it's sharp teeth and pink gums, with hatred glowering from its round blue eyes. She felt the paralysis of fear consume her and she backed up to the safety of her boys. Dwayne stepped in front of her and bared his fangs at the wolf, who growled louder in response and flattened it's ears against it's head.

"Bluebell!" A womans voice from the room the wolf was protecting, admonished and the wolf's ears pricked up. Still, it wouldn't take its eyes from the intruders. "Stop being rude to our guests and show them in."

The wolf barked and re-entered the room from which it came. Dwayne cautiously followed it, with Paul closely behind him. Marko was trying to coax a shaking Star into letting go of the balcony. He slowly led her into the room, where the wolf was sitting obediently next to a large desk. Behind that was an elegantly dressed woman, with dark wavy hair that finished at her shoulder blades. She appeared to be in her late thirties, early forties, however it was obvious that she hadn't been anywhere near that age range in quite some time. Her pale green eyes studied each of them in turn before finally resting upon Star and she smiled.

"I see you're getting better at infiltrating my lair. You almost made it to my office all by yourself, this time. No hunters with you this time? I do so enjoy their company." Star stood motionless, unsure of what to say. It certainly didn't help that the wolf kept staring at her, like it was getting ready to attack.

"I say, Bluebell, would you be a dear and change? I think you're making our guests a tad uncomfortable." The wolf began to morph before their eyes into a young girl with bright blue hair.

"Better?" She asked, gesturing to her naked form and Paul grinned.

"Much!" Which earned him an elbow in the ribs from Star. "What? I can look can't I?"

"Bluebell, stop being so coarse and go and put some clothes on." The girl pouted at the woman, before sliding between Paul and Dwayne as she silently exited the room.

"Now then," said the woman behind the desk, drawing their attention back to her. "How can I help you?"

With the wolf gone, Star felt her confidence returning and she stared the woman down.

"What have you done with David?" The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Nothing."

To their right came the sound of someone clearing their throat and Star breathed a sigh of relief as she saw David sitting on a gold, brocade draped sofa, lined with small black and gold scatter cushions. He was still in shock that the simpering girl who had led him to Ellie had turned into such a ferocious looking wolf. He could tell straight away that she was a supernatural being, still, that wolf had been something else.

"You okay, man?" Dwayne asked him and he shrugged.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You sent a distress call, we were worried. Why didn't you tell us you were planning on meeting with the vampire pack I attacked. You should have waited for us to come with you."

"What? That's not what…this is whose pack is after you?"

"Yes."

The woman watched the exchange between Star and David with bemused interest. David exhaled sharply and stood next to Ellie.

"Boys, Star, this is Eleanor Johnson. My sire."


	6. The Vampire, The Widow and the Succubus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Dragon," that features in the chapter – that honour belongs to the Goddess – Tori Amos.

 “I thought Max was your sire?” Paul asked, confused.

“He wishes.” Ellie scoffed.

“No, Max sort of…adopted me.” David frowned as he searched for the right words.

“I was one of Max’s protegees, until we had a disagreement about the way I do things. In fact, if memory serves, David was the cause of that particular falling out. Max just couldn’t stand that I had got there first.” Eleanor smiled as she lovingly caressed David’s cheek. David closed his eyes and shivered at her touch, making Star stiffen with jealousy.

“He banished me and took David for his own to punish me. However, Max couldn’t very well erase my presence from within him. My blood flows permanently through his veins and I watched with great pride every time David thwarted Max’s attempts to keep him under his rule.” David shot Ellie a look, however she’d turned to Star with a look of pure delight on her face. “You, my dear, were the most remarkable triumph.”

Star’s eyes flickered between Eleanor and David, curiously, looking for some indication that her current state was not the result of some kind of plot conjured between the pair to get rid of Max. David was staring at the floor, with a peculiar expression, one she had never seen before. He looked as though he’d just been clipped round the ear and forced to apologise to the neighbours for breaking their windows. It was odd to see such a look on his face, although she wondered if it had more to do with being in Eleanor’s presence than anything else.

“Eleanor Johnson. Johnson…” Star repeated, trying to figure something out in her head. Suddenly it came to her. “The Widow Johnson? You’re the one who turned Frank Emerson?”

“Guilty.”

“But…sorry, I just…always kind of pictured you as some old biddy. Oh, no offence.” Ellie snorted.

“None taken, I think…”

“Did Max kill your husband or something?” Marko asked.

“No. Widow is more of an…appellation than a description of my marital status. Let’s just say I have…particular tastes when it comes to selecting my victims and the way in which I feed on them.”

“Dude, she’s a fucking black widow!” Paul nudged Dwayne, his eyes going wide and Ellie smiled, then winked at them.

“It can’t really be helped. You see, my mother was a succubus who made the mistake of trying to lure a vampire.”

“Max?” Star queried and Ellie nodded.

“He killed her and rather than be condemned to that life I asked him to turn me.”

“You wanted to be a vampire instead of a succubus, are you fucking kidding me? You’d rather live off blood than sex? Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I just know if I had the choice, which way I’d go.” Paul grinned and Ellie smiled sadly at him.

“We age much faster than other supernaturals, even faster than humans I’m afraid. Also as true as it is elsewhere in nature, the males don’t last as long as the females. So yes, I would much rather be a vampire than a succubus. Although dormant, my mother’s genes still reside in me, so technically I get to live off both.”

“What a way to go…”

“I’m sure David would be happy to tell you.” Ellie smiled at David, who was staring ever more intently at the floor. Star felt her jealousy rising once more, and Marko laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

“So if you knew who I was, why did you have your pack attack me?” Star asked angrily.

“I apologise for that. There was a lot of confusion that night.”

“Confusion? Well what about all the nights after that? The ones when your little bloodhounds were chasing me all over town?”

“They weren’t chasing you, my dear, they were trying to protect you.”

“Protect me? From what?”

“From the hunters who kidnapped you, in case they tried to do so again. My pack are trained to attack blood they do not recognise, especially anything with Max’s blood. After the melee, Frank explained to me who you were and what had happened. I realised that as you belonged to David and not to Max, you were family. I sent some of my boys to bring you back to me, only they came back empty handed and I must say, looking a little worse-for-wear.” Star sighed, guiltily.

“I’m sorry, I…I’ve been on the run from pretty much everything in this town, I just figured you were after me too.”

“We were, although, not to kill you. Once I sensed that you weren’t going to be easily persuaded, which is understandable considering what you’ve been through, I asked them to keep an eye on you. I obviously have more to teach them about stealth and subtlety.”

“I think paranoia has just made me more observant.”

“I always warned Max that his indiscretions would be his downfall, however I never thought they would bring this on us! Hunters - and worse experimenters!” She spat. “Bluebell found one of their little…needle things. From what Frank told me, am I to understand that you were their test subject for this abomination?”

Star briefly looked at Marko and sighed before removing her jacket, to show off the damage to her arms, neck and chest. Ellie gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. For the first time, David properly took in her injuries. She was no longer the treacherous bitch that was responsible for their deaths, she was _his_ Star and she was hurt.

“Star…” He murmured, moving towards her and she quickly covered up. He’d memorised each of the marks and began to trace them over the rough fabric of her jacket. He cupped her face and looked into her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you.” Her face creased and she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his neck. The boys all shifted around uncomfortably apart from Marko who was relieved that David had finally come to his senses.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you...” She whispered in his ear.

“I’m here now…” Ellie watched the exchange with interest for a few moments, before she finally spoke up.

“You’re all of you, welcome to stay. It might be safer here. Strength in numbers and all that.” David released himself from Star’s embrace and shook his head.

“I appreciate the offer Ellie, but I’d rather stay in my own territory.”

“I understand. I do ask that you take Bluebell with you, though.”

“Why?” Star shivered at the thought of the werewolf.

“She could be your protection during the day. As far as these hunters know, the boys are still dead, you however my dear, are not and they are searching for you. They know your habitat and it won’t be long before they think to look for you there. Odds are better for them that they come for you in the daytime.”

“Only if they want to kill her.” Dwayne said.

“Who says that they don’t?”

“No, Dwayne, she’s right. It was afternoon when they came for me last time. Michael had to cover me up and I still burned.”

“So, you’ll take her with you?”

“Sure.” David reluctantly agreed.

“Excellent. She should be waiting for you outside.”

“Just one question. Does she…walk around like _that_ often?” Paul asked and Star hit him over the head. Ellie smiled before coming round from behind her desk and giving Star an awkward hug, as if she was afraid she’d break her.

“You’re welcome here any time, my dear. In fact, I’d like you all to come back tomorrow night so we can discuss where we go from here and what is to be done about these hunters.”

“We’ll be here. Let’s go, boys.” David signalled to them and they filed one by one out of the room. He was about to leave himself when Ellie placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Just a quick word, David.” He looked at her and then at Star.

“It’s okay, Star. I’ll be right down.” Star faltered slightly, reluctant to leave them alone now that she knew their history, however she did as she was asked and followed the boys downstairs.

“She’s very beautiful, David. You always did have a thing for the pretty ones.”

“I don’t have a _thing_ …I love her.”

“Evidently.”

“Something you wouldn’t know anything about.”

“Touché.”

“What do you want, Ellie?”

“You didn’t answer my question, David. If you didn’t like what Max was doing and were so eager to get rid of him, why didn’t you come to me? The situation in which we find ourselves could have been avoided if you had.”

“Just because I didn’t want to be part of Max’s idea of family, doesn’t mean I want to be a part of yours either. You just keep that in mind every time you think you can take Star under your wing and get to me through her. I have my own family and none of us are interested in joining yours.” Ellie just smiled.

“I have missed your insolence. Now go, take care of your family. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  
“Bluebell? Seriously?”

“It’s kind of a portmanteau of my real name, which is kind of a mouthful; Annabell Azura Atkins - thanks a lot, Mom and Dad! Bluebell’s just easier, I guess. I don’t even really like blue that much.”

“Really?” Marko asked, eyeing her hair and Bluebell nudged him playfully.

“Yeah, really.”

David came out of the steel door behind them looking extremely tired - and he was. He didn’t know what it was about Ellie, maybe the remnants of her succubus genes? Whatever it was, he was always exhausted after being in her company for too long. The fact that he still hadn’t fed tonight was making it worse. His bike was still parked nearby, so he told the boys that he’d meet them on the beach near the stadium. Maybe they’d be lucky and catch some late-night party-goers.

The three boys argued for about ten minutes about who was going to carry Bluebell. Before the argument could turn into a fight, Bluebell rolled her eyes and jumped on Marko’s back, who immediately launched into the air with a big grin on his face. Star sniggered as Paul muttered that she should have chosen him, as he was the tallest. She squeezed his hand in sympathy, before joining David to look for where he had parked his bike.

“You didn’t have to come with me. You could have gone on ahead with the others.”

“I didn’t want to leave you. I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” She smiled at him and he chuckled. “Did you really think me and Marko had…”

“I don’t know what I thought, Star. It just made me angry.”

“You never minded before.”

“That was then.”

“Nothing’s changed, apart from we don’t have Max breathing down our necks.”

“No, now we have the Frogs and Ellie.”

“Did you love her?” David stopped walking and exhaled sharply.

“Just leave it, Star.” He muttered, before continuing at his deliberate pace. Star gulped a little and hesitantly followed.

They found David’s bike and Star got on behind him, where she belonged, however she didn’t feel the elation that she used to. Despite her arms wrapped around him and her head resting gently on his shoulder, there was a planetary distance between them that was growing minute by minute. She was sure it had something to do with Ellie, although she was at a loss as to how she would bring it up without losing the small amount of ground she had gained with David.  


_Don't tell me_   
_A woman did this to you_   
_Candy lies_   
_Candy lies_   
_Candy lies_   
  
_You touched my hand_   
_I felt a force_   
_You called it dark_   
_But now I'm not so sure_   
  
_Just stay awhile_   
_Stay awhile_   
_Stay awhile_

_Dragon - Tori Amos_

  
**Star:** I’m still yours…if you want me.

She sent out to him, devastated by the reply.

**David:** It’s not that simple.

oOo

The beach was still pretty active and figuring they had some time to kill before Star and David caught up to them, the boys decided to head to a nearby beach bar. Marko patted his pockets, took out a few crumpled bills and ordered three beers before turning to Bluebell.

“What can I get you?” He asked her.

“A Coke please.”

“Just Coke?” Paul asked, incredulously.

“Yeah. I don’t really handle alcohol that well and believe me you don’t want to deal with me when I’m drunk.”

Ten minutes later and Bluebell was staggering and swaying all over the place, laughing hysterically at anything and everything.

“What the fuck did you put in that drink, Marko?” Dwayne asked him while he tried to keep Bluebell upright.

“Nothing. Just Coke like she asked for.” Bluebell dissolved into giggles.

“I probably should have mentioned…hic…that I get drunk just as easily from sh-sh-shoda.” She slurred. “I think it’s the sugar.” She whispered harshly into Dwayne’s ear, before collapsing on the sand and bringing Dwayne down with her.

“Oh, uh, hello…I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced…” Bluebell began to giggle again, while Dwayne pulled himself up and brushed the sand from his leather jacket.

“Has anyone ever told you, you have the silkiest hair?” The boys looked on with bewilderment as they watched Bluebell stroke the leaves of one of the decorative potted plants, which were placed around the bar. Marko turned to them.

“So, are we all in agreement that we don’t let her drink anything ever again?”

“I dunno, if she starts getting naked it might be worth it…” Said Paul. The other two rolled their eyes at him and stepped forward to help Bluebell off the ground.

Not long after, David caught up to them, with Star trailing wistfully behind him. Upon seeing the state of the werewolf, he frowned at each of the boys in disbelief.

“Some guard dog she’s going to be in this condition.”

“Hey!” Bluebell shouted, indignantly, pointing in the general direction of the three Davids in front of her. “I am perfectly cap-apable.” David looked at the boys, furiously waiting for an answer.

“Man, don’t look at us. She did this to herself.” Dwayne said in surrender.

“Yeah, on Coke!” Paul laughed, cracking up in spite of the fact that David didn’t find it funny in the slightest.

“She snorted coke?” Star asked.

“No, she drank it.” Said Marko, holding up the empty glass bottle.

“Just fucking great! We’ve got hunters after us packing a lethal serum and we’ve got a werewolf who can’t even handle Coca-Cola!” David growled.

“I stand by everything I said.” Bluebell announced triumphantly. She then faltered slightly and turned to Marko whispering. “What did I say?”

David pinched the bridge of his nose and growled again.

“One of you stay with her. If I don’t eat something right fucking now, I’m going to fucking lose it.”

oOo

Star found herself heading towards her old favourite feeding ground, which was under the Pier. She had wanted to stay with David, however after what he’d said to her and the mood he’d been in when he saw Bluebell, she decided to leave him be for now. The mouthwatering scent of fresh blood was getting stronger as she neared her destination and Star inwardly sighed as she realised she’d been beaten to it. Climbing a sandbank to get a better view, she watched as the killers beneath her, cleaved flesh from bone. Star froze in terror as she realised the victim was a vampire and recognised his attackers as the young Frog brothers.

“Where is it, bloodsucker?” Edgar growled, before hacking off another chunk of flesh from the vampire’s shoulder.

“I ain’t telling you nothing! Do your worst, kid.”

“Alan, tie him up.”

Alan tied the struggling vampire’s hands around one of the wooden pillars holding up the Pier. He then secured a length of rope around the vampire’s neck, so he wouldn’t be able to move his head. Star watched with morbid fascination as Alan took out a familiar looking blade, which glinted wickedly in the moonlight. In one swift motion, he sliced across the vampire’s face, extending the width of his mouth. Star gasped and quickly clamped both hands over her own mouth. The vampire was screaming, every movement making it worse.

Edgar approached the screaming vampire with a pair of pliers and yanked out his upper fangs. While the vampire continued howling, Edgar injected the serum into the roof of his mouth, so it would take longer to heal and for the vampire’s fangs to grow back. The Pier was trembling with the vampire’s violent convulsions and Star was trying to convince herself to run. She had come to the conclusion long ago, that nobody was coming to save her, so if she wanted to get out, she would have to do it herself. Eventually her legs did as they were told and started running as fast as they could back to where she had come from.

 

“That was quick.” Marko commented, as he saw Star jogging towards them. Bluebell had sobered up enough to sense her distress.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Frogs…” Star panted.

“They found you?”

“No…someone else…”

“Where?” Marko snarled.

“Under the Pier.”

“Right, stay with Bluebell.”

“Where are you going?”

“Where do you think? I’ve got a score to settle with those little runts!”

“You can’t! Marko, please, you didn’t see what they were doing to the vampire that they caught.” Star pleaded.

“I know what they did to _you_.”

“Marko, she’s right. They're too dangerous for any one super to take down by themselves, especially one who is still healing from his last encounter with them.”

“I appreciate the concern, Bluebell, but this is none of your business. You don’t know what they did to us.”

“No, but I know what they did to _my_ pack. Don’t you think it’s a little odd that I belong a vampire pack? I had a family too before those hunters slaughtered them all. I came back from patrolling to find them hanging their pelts from the wall of our den.”

“I’m so sorry, Bluebell.” Star said, reaching out for her and Bluebell shrugged.

“The only reason I didn’t become one of ‘em is cause I ran.” She hung her head in shame and Star knelt in front of her.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of Bluebell. I ran too and until we figure out how to deal with them, it’s all we can do.” She admitted, looking pointedly at Marko, who sighed in defeat.

“We should get back to the cave, it’s safer there.”

“As long as _they’re_ out there, Marko, nowhere is safe.”

When David, Dwayne and Paul rejoined them at the cave, David seemed to be in a slightly better mood, which withered and died once Star explained what she had seen under the Pier. As the last remnants of night clung to the sky, the boys solemnly retreated to their collective sleeping chamber and Bluebell set up in Laddie’s old bed. Star, who was still a little nervous around the werewolf, decided she would sleep in David’s room. Before he could disappear with the others, however, she ambushed him.

“David, I need to talk to you—”

“—Star, I’m ti—”

“—and I’m not going to take no for an answer, so please just stay and listen. I don’t know what went on between you and Ellie and I’m not sure I want to. I do know what went on between us, though, and I know that we messed it up somehow - maybe beyond repair. I just want you to know that I’ll understand if you think that we can’t go back to the way things were…but don’t you dare think that I’m just going to give up on you, either. I’m always going to love you and nothing you say or do is going to change that.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“Everything’s been against us from the start. Something has always been there, making sure that we can’t just _be_ together - my family, Max, Michael and now the Frogs and Ellie, but they’re nothing compared to you. Why are you so determined to make me hate you? What have you done that you think is worth making yourself this…unhappy for?”

David dropped his head and Star stepped towards him, making him look at her.

“What did she do to you to make you think that you don’t deserve to be loved?” David smiled sadly.

“She had a…power over me, mesmerised me. She was just so…perfect. The perfect woman. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything, I was obsessed. I would have done _anything_ for her and she knew it. So I did. I took out prominent members of Max’s pack for her, so she could ascend to wherever she wanted to be and when Ellie got where she wanted, she still wanted more. It wasn’t enough to be Max’s right hand, she had to challenge his leadership. She wanted her own pack, her own followers, so she could _make_ the rules instead of following them. I had no problem with that, I’d go wherever she went, I belonged to her, but Ellie didn’t see it that way. She knew that if she broke off from Max, she’d be killed for treason against her pack. I was her way out.”

Star frowned at him in confusion.

“She left me to take the fall. Figured Max would kill me and save her the bother. Luckily, he saw right through her, something I could never do. I swore that I would never be under anyone’s power like that ever again. I had Max and the boys and they made me happy enough…and then I saw you. You were right, you know. I was going to kill you that night. You reminded me too much of _her_. Not physically or anything, just the need to possess you. I thought to myself, ‘if I can kill you, then I can kill my obsession with her.’ Yet here you stand, so that went well.”

“When I asked you why you had turned me, you said that you thought I’d be better suited to this life, but that wasn’t the reason was it?”

“No. I continued watching you, after that night. At first I was trying to think of a way to get you alone so I could finish what I started, but then I found myself as mesmerised by you as I had been with her. You intrigued me and I needed to know why. Were you just like her or could you be…”

“Be what?”

“Someone I could learn to trust.”

“And?”

“I haven’t made up my mind just yet.”

“Well, if it helps, I wasn’t the most trusting of people either, but I learnt to trust you. It took me a while, but…”

Star wrapped hers arms around him and breathed him into her dead lungs.

“God, I’ve missed your scent.”

David hesitantly returned the embrace and sighed regretfully into her ear.

“I can’t say what you want me to say, Star. I just can’t…”

“That’s okay, I heard you tell Ellie.” David’s mind raced through his last conversation with Ellie and realised Star was right. He had said it, it had just slipped out.

“I love you, too.” She whispered, kissing him. As he kissed her back, he felt a panic rising within him. Did he truly feel that way about Star, or had it just been a way for him to forget Ellie?

  
_Now it has come to light_   
_The Gods they have slipped up_   
_They forgot about the power_   
_Of a woman's love_   
_Just stay a while_   
_Stay awhile_   
_Stay awhile_   
_Why don't you_   
_Stay awhile_   
_Stay awhile_   
  
_Cause your wild card Boy needs playing_   
_Don't believe the lie_   
_Your Dragon needs slaying_   
_Won't you lay here with me_   
_And I will bring_   
_Kisses for the beast_   
_Lay here with me_   
_Here with me_

_Don't tell me_   
_A woman did this to you_   
_Candy lies_   
_Candy lies_   
_Candy lies_   
_Candy lies_   
_Forgive my_   
_Candy lies_

_Dragon - Tori Amos_


	7. Revenge & Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Just wanted to clear up that the Shuvani are actually wise women in Romani Gypsy clans, I mean no disrespect to them or anybody from the Romani/Gypsy community. Their folklore is fascinating if you would like to know more! :)

David awoke about an hour before sunset, hanging from the bar, nestled amongst his pack brothers. He’d joined them shortly after his kiss with Star. His ambiguity over his true feelings, wouldn’t allow him to stay with her and he’d left her to sleep alone - somewhat confused, in his room. As his eyes quickly adjusted to the murky light, he could make out her sleeping form below him, curled up against a rock, wrapped in a thick blanket. He sighed quietly to himself. She very rarely joined them in the sleeping chamber, unless she was afraid. He scanned her mind to find out what was wrong and on the surface he discovered a tangled mess of guilt and worry over the last time she’d left her boys alone during their most vulnerable time.

_It’s all well and good having Bluebell as a guard dog, but she’s not pack. She’s not family. She belongs to_ her…

David was about to tune out, when there was a flash and Star’s mind began skipping over random words and feelings like water in a rocky stream.

_Sharp blades. Burning. Fire like ice. Suffering, torment._

The flow of water began to pick up speed and mass until it became a raging river complete with rapids of emotions threatening to drown him with empathy.

_Drowning, gurgling. Searing agony. Itching. Got to get it out._

The feelings and visions started to get more intense, each one snapping at his consciousness with its razor-sharp bite. Every time he tried to release himself from her mind, he’d catch a glimpse of Edgar or Alan laughing hysterically at him. He slammed the connection shut and hung precariously from the bar, breathing raggedly as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

As he watched Star’s body twitch below him, he realised he’d just received a glimpse into what she’d had to suffer during her time at the Emersons. He understood now why she was so eager to stay as close to him as possible. After being alone for so long with nothing but those horrific memories to keep her company, he didn’t blame her for wanting to be somewhere she felt safe. Even if that meant staying close to someone she wasn’t entirely sure trusted her.

David didn’t know if he could reassure her of that doubt either. The only thing he was willing to admit to was that she was his and he was determined that he would never let anything like that happen to her again. Whether he loved her or not was irrelevant. She was family and you didn’t turn your back on family.

He dropped down from the bar, being careful not to land on top of her. He sat down and waited for his clawed feet to morph so he could put his boots on. As he was putting on his right boot, Star began to shift next to him, whimpering slightly. Her hands were balled up tightly into fists, proof that she was still fighting her inner demons even while she was asleep. He looked over at her, sympathetically and cradled her gently in his arms. He didn’t want her to have to fight anymore.

“Star? Wake up…” She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“David?” She shrugged out of his arms and sat upright, wrapping the blanket tight around her body. “What are you doing?”

“I think it’s about time I taught you how to focus on your own hunger.”

“Now? Don’t we have to go and see Eleanor tonight?”

“Not until later. We’ve got enough time for me to teach you the basics. Besides, it will be easier for you to do before you’ve actually fed.”

“Okay, so what do I do?”

“Close your eyes.” Star frowned at him. “Trust me, just close your eyes. I’m right here.” She slowly closed her eyes, waiting for David’s deep voice to enter her mind and tell her what to do next.

“Imagine the sound of a heart beating. Pumping blood around a body. Got that?”

“Yeah.”

“Now imagine yourself at the centre of the heart, controlling its every movement.” Star’s eyes suddenly snapped open and she turned to give David a look of incredulity.

“Are you _fucking_ with me?”

“No. Now concentrate.” She exhaled sharply and began again.

“Are you in the heart?”

“Yes.” She sighed, cynically.

“In front of you there should be several stop valves. These control the flow to the arteries and veins around you. Now imagine them filling, blood flowing through each one.” While he was speaking, he noticed that her fists were clenched and she was shaking. “Turn off each valve until only the middle one remains on.”

She did as he asked, starting with the ones on the end and working her way towards the middle. Eventually the flow to the arteries and veins ebbed until they became just a trickle. Star felt her hunger diminish with each valve that she turned off. Finally she only had one more to go, but try as she might, she couldn’t get it to turn.

“Star, what’s wrong?” David asked, noticing her distress.

“The last valve is stuck. It won’t turn.”

“Just relax and try again.” She tried once more and eventually the valve began to give a little. She increased her grip on it and to her horror, it came off in her hand and the blood continued gushing out through the artery.

"Uh-oh.”

“What?”

“Erm, the valve came off in my hand.”

“Well put it back on.”

“I’m trying, it won’t fit back on!”

“Well it was on there before, so it must fit somehow!”

Star placed the handwheel over the exposed stem and slammed her hand on top of it, forcing it back into place. She carefully turned it until she could turn it no more. The flow to its artery hadn’t stopped completely, though.

“All done?” David asked.

“Yeah. Can I open my eyes now?”

“Sure. How do you feel?”

“Better, I guess.”

“We’ll try it again tomorrow night and the next and so on until it becomes second nature and you don’t even have to use the visualisation. Until that time, if you ever have an uncontrollable craving, you can do what you just did.” David felt a pull on his consciousness and cursed as Ellie slipped inside.

**Ellie:** David? David! Are you awake?

**David:** Barely. What’s wrong?

**Ellie:** All of you need to come to the warehouse as soon as you can. Make sure you bring Bluebell.

“Looks like we’re not getting a lie-in.” David sighed. “Boys! Wake up!”

Above them, the boys’ hanging forms started to shuffle. Marko was the first to wake, rubbing his eyes with both hands. Dwayne followed, blinking a couple of times before frowning at David and Star below him.

“What’s up?”

“We’ve been summoned.” David said, tiredly. “Come on, the sooner we go, the sooner we can get out of there.”

Paul dropped from the bar in front of Star and scratched his head before patting his stomach.

“Does anyone else have a bad case of the munchies?”

oOo

When the pack arrived at Ellie’s warehouse, they were greeted with a flurry of activity. Many of her vampires were fortifying newly built barriers outside, while the ones inside were working on reinforcing all the points of entry. Bluebell’s face immediately filled with concern.

“Something really bad must have happened.”

“Aren’t they just preparing for the gathering?” Marko asked.

“Highly doubtful. Didn’t you see all the lookouts on our way over here?” Dwayne remarked. “They were posted all throughout the district.”

Ellie appeared on the balcony before them and beckoned them upstairs. When they got to her office she looked incredibly tired and was still wearing the same clothes she’d had on the night before. When her guests declined the refreshments she offered, she collapsed in the chair behind her desk and rested her weary head in her hand.

“El, what’s wrong?” Bluebell asked, moving behind the desk to kneel at her side.

“It’s Julian…”

“What happened? Is he okay?”

“No, dear. He isn’t.” Ellie sighed, her voice awash with emotion.

“Who’s Julian?” David asked.

“My doorman. You met him yesterday.”

“Tall guy? In desperate need of manners? Yeah, I met him. What about him?”

“He was found in the early hours this morning, tied up underneath the Pier. He’d been brutally tortured and his fangs had been forcibly removed. I suspect he’s also been injected with that damnable serum as his wounds have refused to heal even after feeding him my blood.” Eleanor noticed her wolf and Star exchanging worried glances.

“This news doesn’t seem to shock you, as much as I would have thought, Bluebell.” Bluebell looked at Star once again.

“Star came across the Frog hunters torturing a vampire last night.”

“Is this true?” Ellie asked Star, who nodded.

“They were interrogating him about something, I’m not sure what about, though. I couldn’t make out what they were saying over his screams.”

“I do. They’re looking for—” Just then a knock came at the door and a stocky, dark-haired man entered the room.

“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am, but your other guests have started to arrive.”

“Thank you, Jonathan.” Ellie turned back to the boys. “We’ll have to continue this later. I have invited a representative from each group of the supernatural community to the gathering. I will be speaking on behalf of vampires.”

“Why you?”

“Because, David, with Max gone I am the eldest vampire in this town. So I will speak for us.”

“You don’t speak for me or my pack and I’m sure there are other packs out there who would say the same.”

“I’m sure there are, David. It doesn’t change anything. Things are swiftly getting out of hand and something needs to be done about it. We haven’t time to debate who has the biggest fangs, nor play ‘my sire can beat up yours.’ I will be speaking for us and there is nothing else left to say about it!” Eleanor closed her eyes, which had turned black during the heated exchange, and exhaled slowly. When she opened them again, they had returned to their usual pale green shade.

“Just be thankful I am allowing you to attend this gathering at all.” She said through gritted teeth.

They followed Ellie to the floor below where the warehouse space had been transformed into a meeting hall, with chairs lined up in front of a podium. Some seats were already occupied, however Ellie directed the boys, Star and Bluebell to a line of chairs behind it. Ellie took her place and asked everyone to take a seat. The audience consisted of a myriad of different species, who would rarely be seen together, if at all. Various weres, demons, witches, ghouls, banshees, sprites and even a few spirit forms among others.

“Good evening.” Ellie began. “I have called you all here tonight, to discuss a very real danger that poses a threat to us all. A ruthless family of hunters that threaten our way of life. The family Frog.” The crowd seemed to stiffen at the mention of the name.

“They seem to have forgotten or chosen to ignore that this town belongs to us. There are so few these days that allow us to be who and what we are. If we wish for Santa Carla to remain in our hands and under our influence, we must act quickly to rid ourselves of these pests.”

“I don’t see how this is any of our concern.” Said the representative of the witches, standing up. Her raven hair with streaks of grey running through it, flowed straight down to her hips and she observed the room with beady black eyes.

“It’s our concern if they chase away all the tourists we feed on, witch.” Said the demon representative.

“That’s your problem. Not everything here needs to live off humans to survive.” The witch retorted.

“Not true.” Said Ellie. “You need humans just as much as we do. Who will you sell your wares to if there are no tourists? How will you make your living? And most importantly for you, Aida, if all the humans we depend on to survive are no longer available, what or who do you think we will use as an alternate source of food?” Ellie smiled and the demon grinned wickedly at the witch known as Aida, who glowered before quickly sitting down again.

“Some of us already do.” Said a banshee on the other side of the room, innocently, twirling her long silver hair around a bony finger.

“Bitch…” Aida muttered.

“Come now, I did not call you here so we could fight amongst ourselves. Let us leave such childish behaviour for a less dangerous time. Say, when there is not an enemy that threatens us all. There is hardly a faction here tonight that has not been under attack from them. The point is, what do we plan to do about it?”

“How about what we do with every other hunter that’s been stupid enough to come here?” Said a ghoul.

“Because they aren’t like ‘every other hunter.’ They are not just trying to make a name for themselves, Telemuus. They have a mission, they believe in what they are doing and will stop at nothing to see that it is done. Recent attacks also confirm that they are looking for something to help them achieve this.”

“What are they looking for?” Asked one of the weres.

“They’re looking for the Shuvani Gypsies as they believe they possess a weapon capable of ridding Santa Carla of the taint from demon-kind.”

“That’s ridiculous…” Said a small voice behind her. Ellie turned to see Star shifting uncomfortably in her seat as all eyes fell on her. “I-I mean, I’m a…or at least I was Shuvani and we…they possess no such thing. They have defences against us sure, but they don’t actively hunt us down.”

“You know these Gypsies, then?”

“Well, yeah. I was brought up by them. I know their ways, their lore—”

“—Could you get a message to them?”

“No, I was cast out when I became a vampire.”

“But you still have ties to them? Blood ties. You could find them.”

“I-I guess…”

“Out of the question.”

“I don’t remember asking you anything, David.”

“She’s not going back to them and that’s final.”

“This isn’t your decision, David.”

“The last time she went there, they tried to ‘purify’ her and her father plunged a sword through her chest. She’s not ready for this, Ellie. She’s still healing after months of torture at the hands of those Frogs and being on the run from them. She’s NOT going!”

“Don’t I even get a say in this?” Star interrupted.

“Of course you do, my dear.” Ellie soothed, shooting David a dirty look.

“So just…let me get my head around this. You’re asking me to go back to the family that I abandoned, who when I went back to explain my actions, tried to kill me - in an attempt to prevent the Frogs from getting their hands on something that I’m pretty sure doesn’t even exist?” Ellie knelt down in front of her, took Star’s hands in her own and spoke softly.

“I can facilitate your revenge against those who hurt you and your family.” Star scoffed.

“I’m not David. Revenge is not something I’m interested in. It serves no purpose.”

“Then tell me what you do want?” Star looked at each of the boys in turn, smiling, until her eyes finally rested on David, the smile fading. She turned back to face Ellie.

“I just want my family safe…so I’ll do it.”

oOo

“Ellie, I want to talk to you.” David said as he barged into her office after the meeting had finished. “I don’t want you using Star like this. Max tried the exact same thing and look where it got him.”

“I understand you wanting to protect her David. God help me, I even think that it’s sickeningly sweet. Nevertheless I do not appreciate being compared to Max.”

“Deal with it, because if you do this, you’ll be making the same mistake that killed him.”

“Dating a woman with children?”

“No, messing with me and my pack!” He said, before storming out and slamming the door behind him.

 

“If you’re serious about doing this, then I don’t think you should go alone. Especially not after what happened last time.” Dwayne said to Star. They were waiting outside the room where they were keeping the injured vampire, Julian, as Bluebell had wanted to see him before they left.

“Yeah, one of us should go with you.” Agreed Marko.

“I think it should be you.” Star said to him.

“Me? Why?”

“You know the culture. I know we belonged to different families, but you were Gypsy too, once.”

“Yeah, a long time ago.”

“Marko, your the only other person who could find what it is we might be looking for. Also, maybe the Shuvani wouldn’t be as threatened if they catch us and sense you were once Gypsy too.”

“Oh great! So you’re already planning on them catching you.”

“No, I just like to be prepared for every eventuality.” A door banged open down the hallway, and David strolled towards them dragging heavily on his cigarette.

“Stubborn little bitch.” He muttered as he approached them.

“You’d better not be talking about me.”

“No...Ellie.”

“Good, because I’m still going, but if it will make you feel any better, I’m taking Marko with me for protection.”

“No.”

“David, you can’t stop me.”

“I get that, but Marko’s not going with you. I am.”

“What?”

“I don’t think this is a good idea and I don’t like it and I think all that shit they injected into your system is poisoning you inside. But if I can’t stop you from making a huge mistake, then I’m at least going to go with you to make sure it doesn’t get any worse.”

“Do you have any idea how condescending that just sounded? I am fine, David. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think I could. I’m ready.”

“I don’t think you are and I’m going to keep you safe any way I can, even if that means protecting you from yourself.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, David. This has nothing to do with you wanting to protect me, does it? You still don’t trust me. What? You think this is all some elaborate plot to make sure the job gets done this time? You have no idea of the hell I’ve been through since you’ve been gone! My entire world was turned upside down just because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about Max. Well, you know what? Maybe I can’t trust you after all.” Star turned on her heel, fury striking every step as she walked away.

“What?” David snapped, when the boys continued to stare at him.

“Aren’t you gonna go after her?” Paul asked.

“Go after someone that doesn’t trust me after all I’ve done for her? No.”

“You’re a fucking idiot…” Marko muttered.

“What was that?!” David roared, however Marko was already walking away.

“You heard…” He called behind him.

oOo

Star arrived at the Gypsy camp a little less sure of herself than she had been when she had set out to find it. They’d moved from the campsite near the beach, which is where they had resided the last time Star had encountered them and now camped much further from the town. She walked the perimeter, on the lookout for any wards. Sensing none, she moved into the camp itself, cautiously.

_This is ridiculous_!

She thought to herself. All the stories and folklore her people had shared and she’d never once heard about any weapon to rid them of demon-kind. Shuvani believed that all species served a purpose, demons especially, as they believed, among other things, that they inspired man to be better. So to go around destroying them wasn’t exactly a useful goal.

Star began to wonder how her family were and how they had coped with learning their daughter had become one of these demons they feared. She doubted they would even recognise her anymore, particularly since she hardly recognised herself these days. She was ashamed to admit that she hadn’t thought about them once since Marko had brought her the possessions they had tossed out.

This would be so much easier if I could just talk to an Elder. She thought.

Elders doors were always open to anyone who sought knowledge, however that privilege was not extended to demons. Just because Shuvani believed they served a purpose, did not mean that they were stupid enough to let them go wandering around amongst them.

As Star moved deeper into the camp, she could hear chanting and noticed a crowd gathered around a bonfire. She shuddered, thinking about when they had tried to throw her into a bonfire to ‘cleanse’ her soul of the demon. She edged closer, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. The ritual they were performing was unfamiliar to Star and she wanted to see the runes or symbols they were using to see if she could work out what it was they were doing.

Just then, an Elder approached the fire with her hands to the sky. Star watched curiously as she reached down, took an athame in her left hand and sliced into her wrist, anointing herself with her blood that fell. She then held her wrist over a chalice and allowed it to fill with her blood. Once full, the Elder threw the contents into the fire, turning the smoke a rich magenta. Star was utterly perplexed, as she’d never known her people to use a blood ritual, something that was usually reserved only for the witches in town. She was left little time to ponder as the blood hit all of her senses at once and she felt at war with herself once more.

She was running before she had even thought to do so, and the crowd gathered around the bonfire were now scattered around the camp, fleeing for their lives. As she tore into throats, Star desperately tried to remember the lesson that David had given her.

She didn’t have to imagine the beat of a heart as there was an orchestra of them all around her. She pictured herself inside the heart, stop valves in front of her. They were all gushing, full blast. However instead of flowing through the arteries and veins around her, the blood seemed to be pooling at her feet. Star rushed to turn off each valve, with the blood rising rapidly around her knees. It seemed to be taking forever to turn off a single valve and her arms were beginning to ache.

Two to go and the level had reached her neck and it was becoming more difficult to reach the valves. The blood wasn’t rising as quickly as it had, however as the arteries and veins it would normally exit through seemed to be blocked, it continued to rise at a steady pace. Before long, Star was trapped in the heart, trapped by the deluge. She could no longer reach the valves and the blood flow was now drowning her. There was no escape and her mind went into full-scale panic. Inside the heart, she was fully capable of drowning and losing herself completely to her feral mind. Just as she began losing consciousness, there was a muffled gurgling sound and the blood level started to fall. Star gasped for air and coughed up the blood that had entered her lungs.

She came to, out of her catatonic state and observed her surroundings. The camp seemed empty until a gurgling noise brought her attention to the form in front of her. It was David. His throat had been torn out and his shirt had been shredded open, exposing three long slashes across his chest. Star brought her hands to her mouth and let out a strangled cry when she saw they were covered in blood. David’s blood.

“David?! Oh my God, what have I done?”


End file.
